JEANNIE CAMPBELL knows from personal experience that there is a lot to deal with when a person with an addiction decides to get clean. It’s not only the body that detoxes, it is a process of detoxing people, thoughts, habits, and your very heart and soul that is required in recovery. In 2003, Jeannie was one of the first residents at the newly- opened Blue Monarch recovery treatment program for women with children.
Jeannie, unfortunately, decided to leave the program early. After just six short months she thought she was fixed and ready to go back into the world. However, when leaving Blue Monarch, she didn’t change her location, she re- turned to where some friends were not invested in her staying sober. Within a few months, Jeannie received federal indictments that landed her in prison for four years. Being in prison gave her the opportunity to take a good long look at herself and what she learned in the Blue Monarch program. She knew she had received a tremendous gift of tools and support to get clean.
When Jeannie got out of prison, she didn’t take that new lease on life lightly. She focused on making “the next right decision” to make sure she didn’t put herself in the position of returning to her addictive lifestyle. She worked hard to be a great mom to her three children and build bonds of love and trust that had been severed by her addiction. She realized she had sown a lot of bad in her life and she needed to start sowing good. She also knew it might take a while for her to see those results.
One of Jeannie’s biggest tasks was to forgive herself and come to terms with the damage her addiction caused so many people, especially her chil- dren. It takes a lot of strength to move through that kind of pain and embrace the present. Giving up wasn’t an option and her tenacity paid off. She has been completely free of addiction since 2005 and hasn’t looked back. Her faith is ev- erything to her including her source of strength and hope for the future.
Jeannie has had the honor of coach- ing and supporting women in Blue Monarch’s program since 2015 as their Program Director. She encourages them by reminding each woman that she is capable of breaking the cycle of addiction and sabotage. Jeannie is so grateful she gets to fight for the under- dog and states, “watching these women heal from their past traumas and fully embrace the woman and mother God created them to be is a daily blessing in my life.” She tells the women, “You can still turn your life around and break the cycle. Our lives are built one decision at a time. Whatever choice is before you, make the next right decision and you can’t go wrong.”
More information about support- ing people with addiction issues or in recovery is available at: bluemon- arch.org, celebraterecovery.com, and gatewayshelbyville.com. -GN
